Bloody Roar 2: Another story line
by Loki-God-of-Mischief
Summary: This is an alternative universe to the game Bloody Roar 2. Mostly a mix of most of the stories of each character with some twists.
1. Beginning

Remake of this old story, I found on my old pc. Although it was written on 2007, which is a pretty long time ago, I had the urge of rewriting the chapters because of how horribly written they were and hopefully finishing it with a much better plot.

* * *

The year was 1999.

The existence of Zoanthropes, humans with the ability to shapeshift into fierce and powerful humanoid beasts, had become evident to the general public. No longer were they monsters of myths and characters you'd find in horror films, but real life creatures that lived hidden within modern society. Of course, they had reason to be hidden, for they were feared and hated among the few 'normal' humans that did know of their existence. Funny thing about zoanthropes was the fact that anyone had the potential to become one, and that was just one of the several points Tylon had tried to prove with their countless research and investigations.

The Tylon Corporation knew well how to play this game, it knew how to use the fear that helpless zoanthropes felt as an advantage for their inhuman and grotesque experiments, they knew well how to avoid legal encounters with the government and they knew all too well how to keep secrets reside as secrets. It seemed like Tylon had managed to play all the rights cards, at the right time, at the right place, they were kings at what they did and there was no doubt they would even manage to get away with all of it... Of course, only so many skeletons could fit into this dirty, old closet. It was only a matter of time when some of the ranking scientist began to feel something was wrong, austerely wrong.

It was late at night for this department to still be up and running, it wasn't common for the office side of the building to still be buzzing about at these dreaded hours of the night. But here was Steven Goldberg, a considerably young scientist for his great achievements only aged 37, was still hard at work in his office. He had a large frame for a scientist, but the man like to keep in shape, it would also help him think when he wasn't trapped in his lab or pushing papers at his office as he was currently doing. He had just been analyzing heaps of data sheets he had just obtained from his latest experiment, when he came across some anomalies.

This wasn't the first time it had happened, the data he normally obtained would arrive from his genius laboratory partner Busuzima Hajime. Data like this was beyond the stem cell research Busuzima was doing. Oddly enough, it felt as if actual humans were the subjects of these experiments. Steven shook these thoughts from his mind. Sure Busuzima was a very odd man, but he couldn't possibly be doing something this sinister, the company would never allow it…

"Hajime, we need to talk about our research. I need to know how –." Steven stopped dead on his tracks. He could feel the blood slowly drain from his face as his hands began to tremble uncontrollably. It could have been fear, anger or simply the surprise of what he saw before him, did it really matter now? The only thought that came to Steve's mind was '_Run, hurry run, I need to get out of here_!' His eyes darted from Busuzima and back to the bloody mess that lay before him. Whoever it or he was laying on that table was clearly alive. A slow wheezing sound could be heard from it, struggling to grasp each breath.

Despondently for Steve, Busuzima had somehow read his mind and before Steve could get to the door Busuzima had jumped at him. "No, no, no, no!" was all Steve could manage out of his mouth, his heart now beating at a ludicrous pace as he swung his arms toward the door.

"Oh Stevie, such an unfortunate event this has been for you." Busuzima said as he readied his fist at Steve, who was struggling under Busuzima's weight.

"You'll never get away with this! They'll look for me, they'll find out!" Steve's world soon blacked out, and his final words were wasted on Busuzima.

Busuzima dragged Steve body over to the back of the lab and looked for a sort of tranquilizer. "Hhmmm, what shall I do with you Stevie? It's such a shame to waste a brilliant mind like yours, but you leave me no choice."

He calmly grabbed Steve's arm and pierced through it with the tranquilizer he had contained in a syringe. He then proceeded to strap him down to an empty table as he hummed an out of tune song. Only Busuzima could find joy in this twisted game of his.

Nobody came looking for him, as intelligent as Steve was, as amazing his reputation was among the scientific society, he was a lonely and solitary man. Living alone in Japan, since he first arrived from USA 8 years prior, he had little contact with people or his family. He was a busy man whose only priority in life was his work. Weeks turned to months and eventually a year, yet nobody bothered to find him. Tylon made sure nobody did by paying off his small rented apartment and creditors, and just like that Steve was no more. What did Busuzima do with this poor soul? He used his twisted imagination and turned him into the hideous bug-man that came to be known as Stun.

While all this occurred, a chain of events began to unravel at a frightening pace, at least scary for Tylon and its employees. You see, Tylon had messed with the wrong group of people, a group of extraordinary zoanthropes to be exact.

Alan Gado, a war mercenary, had recently managed to pin-point who was responsible for the death of his dear friend Yuji Ogami. And he wasn't planning on taking any prisoners, oh no, Alan wanted nothing more than revenge and justice from these bastards. Once he had heard of the horrifying experiments conducted within this building, Alan swore to bring them down one way or the other. He called upon friends who had also suffered under the reign of Tylon, and like a spider-web, these friends connected with more friends:

Long Shin, Tylon's former top assassin united for the cause in his own way in order to redeem himself.

Jenny Burtory, a model and spy, close friend of Gado and suppose victim of Tylon. The tales of how she was an incomplete experiment with the inability to age were the rumors Gado heard, but she never was clear about it. Gado was just glad she was on his side, plus rumors or not, she was an extremely beautiful woman.

Alice Tsukagami, a teenaged orphan kidnapped by Tylon to be used as a soldier for their cause.

Mitsuko Nonomura, a Shop Keeper and fishmonger, whose daughter was kidnapped by Tylon and turned into a deadly chimera.

Yugo Ogami, son of Yuji Ogami, who wanted revenge for the death of his father.

Together they stormed into Tylon and against all odds destroyed it, freeing all the humans and zoanthropes that were being held captive as experiments and perhaps in a way bringing peace to the poor souls that were lost to these sick and twisted people.

Of course, not everyone was as lucky as Uriko Nonomura, who was brought back home after being experimented on and later brainwashed. Dare I say, even Yuji was more fortunate that they people who were left behind…

Stun was destined to roam the streets, forever hidden from the eyes of society. There was no safe place for him, no home to return to, and no medical treatment that could change him back to his human form. It was now more than ever that he felt truly alone, evermore to constantly suffer for his mistakes, for helping Tylon achieve what they did as short lived as it was. Worse yet, his decaying body was a constant reminder of it all, he was not safe from even himself.

Kato Ryuzo, Tylon's second top assassin died by the hands of the organization he had sworn to protect. He pride and hunger for power led him to his own slow and painful death. It seemed he was just another pawn in the game and his body was soon destroyed by all the body enhancements he had undergone. He lost it all, his clan of assassins, his pride and lastly his life.

Perhaps the saddest case was Kato's student, who had taken the title of Bakuryu; he was just a child at the time of barely 9 years of age. His master dead and his clan burned to ashes, he had nowhere to go or family to claim him. If that wasn't enough, he had lost all his memories during an incomplete brainwashing process, interrupted by the storming of Tylon. Unlike the others who were taken to safety, Bakuryu was left alone by the rubbles Tylon had become, unnoticed by the fleeing zoanthropes whose only wish was to get away from this nightmare.

Bakuryu stood among the debris and flames for what seemed an eternity. His mind was moving so slow that he could barely perceive what was happening around him. He couldn't remember anything, what was his name? Where was he? What was happening? Yet he didn't feel fear or anxiousness, he felt nothing. Nothing at all, it was all surreal.

Voices, shouts and screams, heavy things falling, and a word that called out to him: Zoanthrope… So familiar yet distant, what was it? Why had he heard it before somewhere, but where? For some reason his sight was failing him and sound was the only thing that he could feel. And then a hand, and another soon followed, he felt two hands over his small shoulders. Slowly a figure began to appear before him, but who was it?

"Wake up, Bakuryu! They might have won tonight, but this isn't over, not by a long shot kid. No one messes with the great, genius, sexy and intelligent Busuzima!" the man before him spoke. His voice sounded familiar, but he wasn't sure. All he knew at the moment was, his knees were about to give up, and as soon as the thought ran through his head, he dropped to the ground.

"Damn brat…" Busuzima mumbled under his breath as he lifted the kid under his arm and sprinted away from the crown of people that were soon to arrive.

* * *

Same plot as it was originally, Bakuryu is not found by Yugo, except I will be using Bakuryu's point of view through BR2, along with short side-stories of the rest of the cast. I'll try to keep the chapters short but lively. Also Keniko is a must.

If anyone does read this, Review please.


	2. Chapter 2

This chapter is basically a quick introduction to the characters normal life style and current events in their lives.

* * *

It's been five years since the destruction of Tylon; peace has been restored or perhaps partially renovated. The hatred towards zoanthropes has been mildly contained; thanks to the effort of groups aimed to bringing together human and zoanthropes. But it is still not safe enough for them to be open about their nature, it still a stigma to be around them, for they are odd creatures capable of harming normal humans.

But for most of Tylon's victims, things have just started to become normal and they have settled down back into their normal day to day routines. Although the scars remain fresh in their minds, they have passed the hardest ordeals which were surviving and returning to their normal life.

Uriko Nonomura, now a 14-year-old, enjoys her days going to High School and helping her mother run the small family shop. Her behavior would fool anyone into believing she had not been related to the Tylon incident, but her mother knows the truth and remembers fairly well all the sleepless nights she spent next to her daughter, reminding her she was safe at home now. Of course, Tylon did bring something good into their lives, and it was Alice Tsukagami, now Alice Nonomura, the newest member of the family.

"Alice! Alice! Alice! Alice!" Uriko was saying as she bounced from the sofa in the living room.

Alice, who was in the dining room eating dinner, dropped her spoon and snapped at Uriko, "What! What is it already?"

It wasn't uncommon for Uriko to get on everybody's nerves, but she was just so bubbly and hyperactive people normally forgave her. Alice was tired and had been listening to Uriko's endless rambling for what seemed hours.

"Alice, were you listening to me! I was talking about how my friend played a prank on the teacher today, it was so funny! First he – " She was abruptly cut off by her mother who entered the room.

"Uriko, stop doing that on the sofa you're going to break it! Also, stop bugging Alice; she had a long shift at the hospital today and has a headache. Alice did you take those painkillers already?" Mitsuko was always looking after he daughters, so it was the normal routine when she would arrive at the house and immediately start giving orders, particularly at Uriko.

Uriko rolled her eyes and leaned back on the sofa, "Okay, mom! Can I have dessert now?"

"Absolutely not! I know you haven't even started your homework, now go or else I might sign you up for cram schooling." Mitsuko said without turning towards Uriko, who without delay got to her feat and rushed into her room.

"What am I going to do with this girl? Did you see her last report card?" Mitsuko sighed and faced Alice who was quietly eating her meal. Alice shrugged and looked at her adoptive mother. "I guess I can… tutor her…" Alice dragged the last few words, she knew what a slow learner Uriko was and how irritating it could become to help her with her lessons.

"You sure, sweetie? Because we all know how that could get, maybe cram school is the way to go. I mean, I think I can fit it into our budget." Mitsuko was busy organizing the kitchen, and even though she was talking she sounded distracted.

"Mom, I know things are tight, so it's no problem I can do at least that much." Alice firmly said, reassuring her mother she was up to the job.

"Well thank you. Now if only you could rub off some of that 'responsible' trait on to your sister…" Mitsuko said and chuckled. Alice smiled and continued her meal.

Mitsuko was a single parent and the economy in the house wasn't at its best. She was forced to spend more time at the shop and much more time finding the best deals from her providers. Because of this, she was leaving Uriko lead a more 'independent' life style, which at the moment didn't seem to be working out all that well. Alice was now helping with her new job as a nurse, but her new almost 12 shifts were killer and it became more apparent every passing week.

"Well, I'm off. Make sure to rest up before you head back to the hospital. I don't want you ending up as a patient there…" Mitsuko gave Alice a kiss on the forehead and weak smile to follow. Alice smiled back and bid her goodbye.

Alice was grateful Mitsuko had taken her in, and she would do anything in her power to show it. "I better go check if Uriko is even doing her homework…" She murmured under her breath. As frustrating as Uriko was, Alice loved her dearly. Uriko was after all her savior, the little girl who sacrificed her opportunity to escape Tylon and handed it to Alice, a complete stranger at the time.

* * *

In a not so distant location, hidden behind from the public eye, stood what very few people knew as The Zoanthrope Liberation Front. Yes, rumors of this group weren't uncommon, but the amount of people who had actually encountered them was barely a handful. To the ordinary person, the idea of a radical terrorist group which used only brainwashed zoanthropes sounded like a plot from a cheesy old sci-fi film.

The Zoanthrope Liberation was no sci-fi movie, they were very much real and a massive threat to virtually anyone who was unlucky enough to stand in their way or happened to stumble upon them. But other than that, they kept a low profile, a few kidnappings here and there, a few seemingly random murders every now and then, but it was hardly enough to isolate them as the actual group behind all this. Unlike Tylon, the ZLF had managed to learn self-control and patiently waited before executing anything; making them an extremely hard opponent to trace, in particular because their leader was simply a puppet. No one knew who he was, he had no background information to trace, not even the employees knew who he was really, and it would seem he was a ghost, nonexistent or perhaps even fictional.

Of course, there were only two people in the world who knew the truth. One was the actual head honcho known as Busuzima Hajime and the latter would be an outside man, who had reasons to believe Busuzima was behind all this, Steve Goldberg, better known now as Stun the Insect.

"Damn, damn, da-! Ouch, I bit my tongue again!" Busuzima yelled as he threw his stack of notes into the air. He was a madman, but a genius madman, and nothing drove him over the edge like failure did. Another failed experiment meant he had to restart and solve the predicament that caused it to fail, which then that added up as a waste of time and resources. His quest was as insane as himself, and it was to find a way to create an immortal being that would survive regardless if it lost its head, or at least that is how he envisioned it. Unfortunately, his former laboratory partner, Steve a.k.a. Stun, was the one making progress in that field and without Stun to assist him, it felt like he was only hitting dead ends.

"Well wooptido, this is the 8th person in a row to die before even getting to phase 3 of the experiment! What am I doing wrong! Damn that cockroach, if only I knew what hole he was hiding in…!" Busuzima spun around in his desk chair only to be startled of it.

With a loud thump and a few muffled curses he fixed his beady eyes on the source of his surprise. There, in the middle of the room stood his bodyguard Bakuryu. He was as furtive as ever, never making a sound when he entered a room, it was as if he had the ability to make himself invisible or at least that is how Busuzima imagined he did it. Bakuryu was noticeably tired, he had slightly gray circles around his eyes and although his posture was straight as usual his shoulders were faintly slumped. Yet his bright golden eyes were as sharp as ever, always vigilant and aware of all his surroundings.

"Damn you brat, don't you know better than to startle me like that? How many times have I told ya!" Busuzima fussed as he got back on his feet. Bakuryu's face showed no emotions, it was as blank as ever.

"Forgive me Master, it was not my intention." He apologized in a calm voice that could have been confused for sarcasm to anyone who didn't know him. Busuzima glared at him, but he knew the brat was incapable of mockery, at least not towards him.

"Anyway, whatta ya want? Did you finish what I ordered? I'm all ears for some good news." Busuzima continued on ignoring Bakuryu's apology.

"Yes, master. The target was disposed of." Bakuryu replied as his gazed was fixed on his master.

"Good, good. I got nothing for ya, at least not yet. So run along, I don't need you standing there like some creepy mannequin… and clean that blood of ya, it's gross." Busuzima said and gestured with his hand towards Bakuryu to leave already.

"Yes, of course." Bakuryu was almost robotic when it came to taking orders, with a quick reply and a bow, he left the laboratory.


	3. Chapter 3

'_Zoanthropes, what are they exactly? Well, I think they are freakish mutants! Can these things even be trusted? I know for a fact, people won't be feeling safe as long as these things are allowed to roam the streets!' _

'_I disagree; zoanthropes are victims of this society. As long as we keep treating them like monsters, they will never be able to assimilate to our communities, cities, workplace, or schools. The list goes on! You can't generalize your opinions on the act of some zoanthropes.' _

'_Well, there you have it folks, another monster loving hippie trying to destroy our society! Isn't it grand? You may say a few, but I recall quite clearly that these creatures killed and hurt over at least a hundred people. I can assure you it was more than just a few zoanthropes. Sane people would not be defending these violent things! We need to take action NOW!'_

The television broadcast was cut off with a flip of the TV remote, and the room was soon plagued with silence. The living room, once lighted by the faint lights of the television, was now dreadfully dim. The little light that did pierce from the glass windows was restricted by the thick covering of rain clouds that hovered over the city. A loud whack echoed in the room as the TV remote was thrown over the small table besides the couch.

"So much for trying to clear my mind." A young woman sighed to the air as she slid back where she sat.

This young woman, in her late teens, was known as Shina Gado, or Marvel for those who knew her at the battlefield. Daughter of Alan Gado, the lion who years previously had helped destroy the Tylon Corporation. Shina had followed closely in her father's footsteps, and had even pursued his very career as a mercenary. She was unlike any teen her age; she had come to know the horrors of war at the tender age of 4, when she lost her family to a senseless conflict. Gado, having participated in said conflict, found Shina and decided to take her in as his daughter. Shina grew very fond of her adoptive father and together lead a relatively normal life.

It wasn't until she turned 14, which she decided to do the unthinkable and officially join her father as a mercenary of war. Gado was a strange man to have allowed her to do as she pleased, but he probably saw something special in his daughter, the blood of a zoanthrope.

Now at the 18, Shina had only one mission in mind, one that drove her mad in frustration because it seemed no matter how hard she tried to get to her goal it continued to slip through her hands. You see, Shina had one target she needed to get a hold of, and that target was her own father.

According to rumors, her father was involved in some illegal activity, and these activities opposed all of his morals and principals, basically all the ever stood for. Gossip among zoanthropes claimed Mr. Alan Gado was in fact the infamous leader behind the ZLF. Just the thought of it made Shina's blood boil.

"There is no fucking way this is true! Aarrgg!" Shina snapped at the thoughts, her very core ached as these feelings of frustration, doubt and disbelief piled up in the back of her mind. Of course, Shina was a strong gal, and even though she was scared and skeptical, she believed in her dad further more that the rumors.

Rain began to pound away at the glass windows; it looked like the weather was in sync with her current mood. Shina calmly shifted her gaze towards the glass and allowed her body to further relax. She figured yelling at the air was not going to help her find her father, so perhaps a short nap would do her good. Running off so late at night under the rain to continue tracking her father didn't sound so appealing at the moment. Besides, her body was demanding the rest. She could feel the knots in her muscles on her back; bellow her eyes she knew she had bags and her mind was telling her it needed some urgent shuteye.

"Father, I swear I'm going to find you, and once I do and clear this whole mess up, innocent or not, I'm gonna punch your lights out..." Shina chuckled to herself, while she was worried about what could have happened to him, she also felt he was wronging her by making her agonize and worry about him. Shina had a funny way of showing and expressing her feelings, you could say, like father like daughter.

* * *

Back at the headquarters of the ZLF, a certain mad scientist was at the brink of snapping anyone who crossed his way in two. It seemed some mysterious force was taking down his 'elite' soldiers one by one, and he wasn't all too happy about it.

"Master, you called for me?" A young teen asked the frustrated scientist from afar, keeping his distance for a good reason.

A few glass bottles flew about in the air, smashing against the wall behind Busuzima. "Yes, Bakuryu I called you! Why did you take so long!" Busuzima barked without sparing him a glimpse.

Bakuryu followed his master with his intense gaze and answered coolly, "I was finishing the previous tasks you deemed urgent, master."

Busuzima rolled his eyes at him. "Yeah, yeah, I remember. Look, I got another assignment in mind. It seems some jerk has been snooping aroun' here, I don't know who and I don't care." He paused and grabbed a paper from the printer.

"You see that woman? I want her here, minimum of 3 days. Just make sure you bring her in one piece. I would send out my other goons, but it seems someone is looking for ways to trace us here, I can't send those clowns to do a discrete job like this. After you bring her, I'll send you to find more people, as soon as I manage to gather enough information from Tylon's old data base… why am I even explaining this to you! Just go already." Busuzima loved to talk, so much, that even Bakuryu, his outmost faithful assassin, would find it slightly unpleasant.

Bakuryu took the sheet of paper he was handed and waited until he was far from the laboratory to look at and read through the description.

'_Name: Mitsuko Nonomura' _

'_Age: 39'_

'_Height: 182cm - 5'9'' _

'_Weight: 78kg'_

The woman in the picture had short brown hair, dark brown eyes and sported a very large frame. If he didn't know any better, he would have believed she was a wrestler. Of course, the data sheet was very clear on her profession: _Shop Keeper/Fishmonger._

Without another moment to waste, it was time to gear up and hit the streets. He needed to get enough information on this woman as possible, what were her routines? Where did she currently live? How many people did she live with? When was she most vulnerable? How strong was she?

Bakuryu worried less about that last inquiry; he knew strength alone could only get you so far. His abilities as a ninja, which included stealth, fast reflexes and deadly moves, would help him overpower her, or at least that's how he saw it.

He moved through the empty hallways of the complex with such silence, that his footsteps were barely audible. Normally one would hear the echo of clumsy footing on a lively day, where workers of diverse departments would be running about to their respective areas, but it was as if Bakuryu was on a constant stealth mode, making unnecessary noise was something he wasn't fond of. He came to a halt when he found his personal quarters, which was nothing more than a small room measuring around 10x10.

He pushed the door open and looked across the room; it was just as he had left it last night before he headed out to do his master's bidding. For a teenager, such as himself, the room was awfully depressing; the walls were coated with a dull light gray color, against the farthest side of the room was a single size bed covered with a white sheet and one lone pillow, across on the other wall there was a rack full of weapons that one would normally see in some old kung-fu film, finally next to the door there was a small closet. Bakuryu, closing the door as he entered, headed straight towards the closet and debated on which clothing was the most appropriate. Ultimately, he decided on his blue and black armor, since it was way too late to dress in casual clothing and actually try and make indirect contact with the victim.

As he suited up, he prepared his mind for the trip. He imagined the roads he would take, which was the fastest route, and where exactly this store he was looking for was. He was certain he had passed it at least once or twice, who knows; maybe he's even been there before as a costumer? It wasn't unusual for Bakuryu to go out and buy his Master snacks as silly as it sounded. The master assassin Bakuryu, strolling down the streets to buy Busuzima sweets and whatnots, he immediately shrugged the idea. He had other things to think about at the moment, he needed to focus.

It took him a few minutes, but he was finally suited up and ready to begin his journey. He knew it wouldn't take long since it was only surveillance and investigation, but in this job you never know who you might run into.


	4. Chapter 4

Yugo Ogami was an amateur boxer trying to get his big break, but for the moment he was just an amateur boxer with tremendously talent in art of boxing. Unfortunately, this sport was bias towards him, even though he won roughly 98% of his fights, even if he displayed amazing aptitude and strength, it seemed there was always someone standing in the way that was more remarkable with the green. Yugo discovered the hard way that friends in high places and money could get you almost anywhere or anything, as long as you could pay back the favors or buy your way in, all was good. Even though most of these 'boxers' never made it to the championships, they would at least get their chance to shine, which was what Yugo needed desperately if he intended to stay in the game.

His father didn't leave him with much, after he died during the Tylon incident, just a small apartment near the end of town and barely any money to afford the propel burial he gave his father. But Yugo didn't take out his frustrations out on his poor deceased dad, he knew better than that.

Yugo was a high school dropout, who had really nothing to look forward to at this point. With his last family member gone, Yugo was a lone wolf, living from paycheck to paycheck and partying when he could with mostly superficial friends. He knew this life style wouldn't last forever; he had recently turned 22, and had begun to start thinking about his future. Yet, the idea of sitting in an office all day pushing papers or serving burgers in a fast-food was anything but alluring to him. No, Yugo knew he was meant for boxing, it made him feel alive, he had passion for the sport, it brought joy into his life, but if only he could get a darn debut fight as an amateur boxer!

The sun had just risen completely over the gloomy city as Yugo arrived home from an early jogging session. He slung the door open to his home and threw his shoes by the front doorway. Immediately, he grabbed a towel he had left prior to his exercise by the couch, and dried off his sweat. He looked around the small apartment, while he collected his thoughts, and headed over to the kitchen to snatch a drink.

Life wasn't as thrilling as he had hoped, he wasn't famous, he hadn't won the lottery yet, he hadn't been on a stable relationship since god knows how long, and honestly, he felt very lonely. But what caused him to feel alone was the fact he had to family he could call out to, even if it was just for small talk. He didn't have anyone to openly complain to or simply hang around with. Of course, he had a few close friends, but they were busy with their own family and jobs. Sure, he had his trainer, whom he was very fond of, but it wasn't the same.

He popped a can of soda open, knowing he'd later regret breaking his new strict diet, and made his way to his makeshift personal gym. Maybe, he thought, some more practice with the good old punching bag would knock those sad lingering feelings.

"One, two. One, two." He gently huffed as he maintained a steady pace between punches.

* * *

'_Hey there kiddo, how've you been? You better be behaving and going to school every day.'_

'_Dad, c'mon, I'm gonna be 17 in the next month and a half. I'm not a little kid anymore, and yeah I've been doing fine.'_

'_I know, I know, not a little boy anymore. Geez, they grow up so fast… Look, I know I haven't been spending much time with you, and I can't believe I forgot you're this old, so how about we celebrate your birthday properly this time? How about it?'_

'_You mean it? I know your job keeps you far, I really don't mind if you can't come home.'_

'_What? You telling me you don't wanna see your old man!'_

'_No! I mean –… Yeah, dad, I look forward to seeing you next month.'_

'_Well good, 'cause I promise I'll be there. Remember, Yugo, I love you and miss you very much.'_

'_I love and miss you too, dad.'_

* * *

The memory began to fade, but the feelings of resentment and sadness loiter in his mind. "Dammit dad, why'd you go getting caught by those bastards…" he whispered.

Each punch become more aggressive than the last, his breathing was deeper and faster, his light brown eyes utterly focused on the punching bag. BAM! He came to a sudden stop at a mid-punch; he could feel the bag giving away from its hook, he quickly glanced up and stepped away.

"A bit too harsh on that bag, don't you think?" A thick male voice called out from behind.

Yugo, caught completely off guard, spun on his heels to face the stranger, fist ready for an attack.

"Gado! What? How? When did you?" Yugo gasp as he lowered his defenses.

"One question at a time, old friend. You should really do something about that flimsy lock on the back." Gado said and was followed by some awkward silence.

They both stared at each other as if waiting for something to explode out of nowhere. Yugo decided to make the first move and speak up.

"Uh… So what do you need? I mean, you just showed up out of the blue, so something _must_ be horribly wrong." Yugo picked up his towel once more and rubbed it against his forehead and neck, and returned his fix his eyes on Gado. Yugo wasn't the most perceptive person, but he could clearly tell something was wrong with his old friend.

"So, you consider me the bringer of dire news? Heh, I can't blame you after what happened last time." Gado said, his voice sounding weary and drained. He strained a small grin and looked away from Yugo.

He could see Yugo, as a 17 year old kid, desperately looking for his father, and he could see himself just a few years younger, not that there was much of a difference. He remember delivering the news of Yuji's death, and Gado having lived fighting wars as a living, wasn't the most sensible of people when he broke out the news to Yugo. Surprisingly, Yugo took it rather well; he was quite mature in that aspect and most likely had been expecting the news for some time. His father was a great fighter and soldier, but was a man nonetheless, and like all men, he was mortal and vulnerable.

"Gado… Let's go over to the living room. You want something to drink?" Yugo said trying to move the conversation along.

"Sure, water would be great." Gado moved over to the couch and waited for Yugo to return. He looked around the apartment, not much had changed, maybe just a bit emptier he thought.

"Here you go. Now what is this horrible news you've come to share with me." Yugo grinned as he handed the glass of water to Gado. He quickly took a seat and looked straight at Gado, for some reason, he wanted to catch every word and gesture the older man made. He wanted to be sure to grasp the severity of the situation.

After taking a big gulp of water, he faced Yugo and began to speak, "I suppose you have already heard of the notorious group called 'The Zoanthrope Liberation Front'. They are very similar to Tylon you could say, but they are wise and keep to themselves. I've been tracking them for many months now, and I believe I am getting closer to the truth."

Yugo opened his mouth as to speak, but Gado continued after a quick mouthful of water.

"They are unlike Tylon in many other aspects. They don't go around kidnapping at random, it's like they have a select group of targets that can be classified by age, gender, nationality and even family. Their murders are very precise and clean, and the police have found it a challenge to even determine the weapon used during the crimes, let alone any biological evidence of the murderer. The point is that they are extremely organized and know what they want and how to obtain it. I can't even trace places that might be supplying them materials of any sort, it's like everything they do it legal or they buy in such small amounts that I can't even pin-point them." Although Gado was a very collected man, there was a trace of frustration behind his words.

"So basically, you are chasing the ZLF but can't because you can't even find them… how am I suppose to be of help?" Yugo asked bewildered by Gado's description.

"Well, I did say I was getting closer, didn't I? I believe that their base of operations has to be within our very city. It was as soon as I began searching nearby and taking down suspicious men who were working for the ZLF that their attacks have been almost stopped. It's like they are now waiting for me to slip up or go away. Either way, the men I caught handed me with little information. They were too low ranking to know anything that might have helped…" Gado paused for a moment and inhaled deeply.

Yugo leaned further back on his seat and waited for it, for the request he knew was coming, but he wasn't prepared for what soon followed.

"Look, I have a friend, a very close and trusted friend, searching with me. She has been able to hand me some important details that I have yet organized even in my mind. All I wanted from you is surveillance. You understand what I mean?" Gado said and now waited on Yugo's reply.

"Huh? You mean like some reality TV where I watch the streets and pretend to be a superhero or something?" Yugo was skeptical about the idea.

"Well no, not like that. Look, I know your secret hobby of picking fights at night or at the outside of bars. I also know you run into all sorts of people when you do so. You should also be aware that you could lose your boxing license that way, so I know you keep a low profile about it. All I'm asking is for you to do your casual thing just tell my _friend_ if you see something that comes off as extra weird, especially if it revolves around zoanthropes." Gado was dead serious now. He handed Yugo a small card with only a phone number.

Yugo took the card between two fingers and looked back at Gado, still a bit unsure about the entire situation.

"Well, I have to admit, you have done your research… even on me. Although, I am not too sure what to make of that last part, but I'll help you. If I see anything out of place, I'll dial up your 'friend' and spill whatever I get. So, uh, does this friend have a name?" Yugo was now curious about this special person.

"Jenny. That's all I can tell you for now." Gado said as he got up from the couch. He looked around the place one last time and smiled now a livelier smile.

"I better be going. Have lots of work ahead of me. Who knows, maybe you'll be running into some old friends soon enough." Gado gave a small chuck and headed towards the door.

"Uhuh… Well, glad I could be of help to you. Don't be a stranger, see you later." Yugo said not bothering to get off his seat.

"Bye Yugo, take care." Gado said and with that left the house.

"Man, what did I get myself into? It's like the older he is, the weirder he gets…" Yugo sighed and turned back to the mysterious phone number on the small card.

"Wonder if she's hot…" Yugo put the card away in his wallet and slid the walled back into his back pocket.


	5. Editing

Alrighty! Here's the 5th chapter!!! I just had to fix it...(Remake...I guess?)

It was 7:00 am and Uriko was prepared for her long trip to the country side. She had prepared her bags the night before and packed a lunch that same morning. She took the map and locked up the house. Uriko was very surprised that she had managed to sleep so peacefully last night. It was most probably the fight and the close encounter with death that she had had the night before.

"Today looks like a nice sunny day, I just hope it stays that way…"Uriko said as she walked down the street.

She had checked if there were any busses that headed that way and only found two. If she were to miss any of those two she would be in great trouble. One left at 8:00 and the other half and hour later. Uriko had exactly one hour to get to the station by foot.

Meanwhile back at the apartments where Bakuryu was staying.

Bakuryu too had awakened early in the morning to prepare himself for another long day. Hopefully today he would get closer to his target, since time was short.

He got out of bed and washed up like usual; then ate something fast and left.

A few apartments away Yugo was also awake. Yugo had gotten out of his bed and left to the bathroom. He washed his mouth and face and brushed his hair. He walked back to the room and looked at the closet for awhile. Most of his clothing was very casual, but he needed something more than that. It wasn't his style; but he picked out a black formal shirt and a pair of dark jeans. He got a pair of black shoes and skipped breakfast. This was something very rare, because Yugo liked to eat breakfast very much and would only skip it when he felt sick or something alike.

Yugo's expression was that of total sadness, as if he were in a great depression. He looked at his watch and realized it was only 7:45 am. That day he was free and didn't have to go down to the gym as usual to meet up with his trainer.

"I know it's early... but I really need to take a walk." Yugo said and left the apartment and just picked any street to take a walk.

Almost 10 blocks away Uriko was still far from the buss station. "Ah! I better hurry!! It's gonna be 8:00 very soon. I won't make it to the first one! Darn!" Uriko said as she rushed down the street. Uriko looked up to the sky and noticed the gray sky above her.

"What!? Oh, this is just great! Now it's about to rain... I should've watched the weather report before leaving..." Uriko said and kept going.

Yugo, a few blocks away, was headed the opposite direction from Uriko. He continued his walk through a near by park. The park wasn't very big, but was full of beautiful vegetation. There were small stools in the side of the pathways and pretty big trees that gave a nice shade to the people in the park. Yugo would pass by this park when he was exercising in the afternoons; after training in the gym in the morning.

Yugo stopped a moment and looked around. This park had many memories from his time with Alice. He remembered his first date with Alice; when he had arrived to the park with her to eat ice cream. In this park he had had his first kiss with Alice; he had admitted his true feelings for her as well. He had never felt so happy in his life; but then again this park had some sad memories as well for him. In this park he had to say his farewell to Alice; she wanted to become a nurse and so had to move away to make her studies possible. Also in this park; was one of the last times he got to see and speak with his father; before he had gotten taken away by Tylon.

"It's been a long time..." Yugo said. He looked at his watched and noticed it was almost 8:30. He looked ahead and kept walking until he got out of the park

Meanwhile Uriko was in front of the buss station. "Wow, I made it... and just in time, it's drizzling now..." Uriko said and went straight to where the buss was supposed to be.

Outside the sky was grey and the air was cold; Uriko was lucky that it hadn't rain while she was walking towards the station.

She waited at least for ten minutes before looking at her watch. "What's wrong with this bus... It should be here about now!" Uriko said as she looked all around.

"Hey missy, this buss doesn't come around here till 9:00 a.m." an old man said.

"9:00? But... where does this bus lead to, sir?" Uriko said.

"Well, it leads from Tokyo ,here, to Kyoto." The old man said.

"What?! Kyoto? No way, I just need to get to the country side..." Uriko said.

"Huh? Oh, well why didn't you say so? The bus you want is over there about to leave... oh, it left just now." The old man said.

"Wha?? No way!" Uriko said and looked at where the old man pointed out and ran after the bus.

"Goodbye! What a fast runner she is." the old man said laughing.

Uriko ran for a minutes before the bus came to a stop.

"Oh, excuse me miss... I hadn't seen you running after the bus..." The bus driver said while looking at the now soaked girl.

"Oh, my luck's really good today..." Uriko said as she paid the money.

It had begun to rain a little harder outside when Uriko went running after the bus. After Uriko took a seat in the half empty bus; she took out a small towel from her bag and dried herself up. She hadn't expected thing to go so bad, but of course she kept her spirit up.

"This might've not started well, but I know this will end up okay...! It better..." Uriko said to herself.

The bus was a good one at least; it had air conditioning and pretty comfortable and big seats. Uriko laid back on the seat and relaxed a bit. She was going on a very long ride.

Back to where Yugo was it was raining just as hard as where Uriko was. Yugo stopped by a near by drugstore and bought a small umbrella. He continued his walk; but he didn't stop anywhere this time. It seemed he had a destination to reach.

After walking for almost an hour he stopped in front of an old cemetery. At the entrance of the cemetery stood an old lady selling flowers; Yugo walked up to her and looked at the flowers.

"Good morning. How may I help you?" the old woman said.

Yugo looked up at her and said "I would like a dozen of those roses."

The woman looked at the ones he pointed at and picked a dozen of them up.

"Here you go a dozen yellow roses." The old woman said as she handed them over.

Yugo pulled the money out of his wallet and paid the woman. Yugo then entered the cemetery.

He walked through half the cemetery before he took a turn to another smaller pathway to the left. He kept on moving until he reached certain grave. He bended over and placed the flowers on a flower base already on the grave.

"It's been five years already... father." Yugo said.

He closed his eyes and putted his hands together and began his prayer.

A few minutes after; someone had arrived behind Yugo. The man behind Yugo placed some red roses next to Yugo's flowers.

Yugo opened his eyes to see who it was that was standing next to him.

"It's been sometime now; since I've last seen you, Yugo" the man said.

"Gado..." Yugo said.

"I came here to visit my old friend's grave... It has been some time since I have been here... You brought yellow roses... you know roses have meanings; yellow roses mean goodbye or departure." Gado said.

"Yeah I know that... I still feel like I never got to say goodbye... it's funny or just weird I bring this flowers to try and say goodbye... but it's not the same." Yugo said with an ironic smile.

"I see... It's not funny or weird... I consider it a nice thing." Gado said.

"Why now? Why did you come here now?" Yugo said suspecting something.

"Huh? You seem surprised to see me here?" Gado asked.

"Well... yeah, a bit I admit." Yugo said.

"I must admit that I was expecting to find you here... I need to speak with you..." Gado said.

"...What do you need to speak to me about? If it's another saving the world kind of thing count me out; I'm just a boxer now." Yugo said.

"Saving the world? No Yugo, it isn't... You know well that the Z.L.F. is doing things that Tylon did or maybe even worse. Not many would face of against it because of fear... I am one of those few wishing to stop it no matter what. I need people to help me out with this. I already got a few people with me... I wanted you to be one of them, Yugo." Gado said.

"Me? What could I possibly do? What is my motivation towards all this...I only did it last time for my father..." Yugo said.

"Your motivation? What about all those innocent people that will end up like your father or already have? You know that Uriko's mother was taken by them... Uriko, just a

14-year-old is facing of against them to save her mother. You know this will later on involve Alice as well." Gado said.

"...I understand your worrying, but what..." Yugo said when he got interrupted by Gado.

"Yugo, please reconsider my proposal..." Gado said and turned around to leave.

"All right... you really now when to convince someone...Geez it's kinda annoying actually. Tell me what you want, but I'm starving so let's get some breakfast or lunch." Yugo said and Gado smiled.

"Very well, and its lunch." Gado said and left with Yugo.

Back at the bus Uriko was in...

"...It's only been almost three hours... I need to move or something!" Uriko said looking out the window.

The scenery was beautiful; it was the parts of Tokyo that Uriko rarely over saw. Slowly Uriko was leaving the city and was entering the country side almost outside Tokyo.

Meanwhile, Bakuryu...

It was noon now; Bakuryu had had no success in his search for a trace of Gado.

"... I can't believe I lost the entire morning..." Bakuryu said as he ate in the table.

He decided it was time to disobey his master's wishes in order to please him. He was going back to his headquarters to get some information on his most recent enemies. He knew he had to be careful for if he was caught by Shenlong, he would most probably question Busuzima's whereabouts and Bakuryu had no time for explanations.

Going to the Z.L.F. in the day time was dangerous; but it was even more at nighttime. Bakuryu had the skills to break in without anyone noticing; but he had no need for that since he was an assassin for them. The only one he had to avoid was Shenlong. Still Bakuryu didn't want to take the risk of screwing things up so he decided to sneak in the building.

Bakuryu had teleported to the back of the labs; where there were only a few guards. He avoided the video cameras and entered through a small window. Once inside Bakuryu ran down the corridors until he reached the cells where hostages were held. In this area there were no guards since there was no possible way to get out from the cells, there were only a few cameras, which again Bakuryu avoided with ease.

He looked into one of the cells to find Mitsuko; the woman from the store. Mitsuko looked at him and recognized him.

"It's that boy from before... what is he doing in a place like this. Does he work for these bastards?! Oh my daughter was talking to him!" Mitsuko thought.

Bakuryu moved away and entered though a hidden door at the end of a dead end hallway. The doors lead to Busuzima's lab which was locked from the main entrance. Nobody ever went into the lab unless Busuzima was there except Bakuryu.

Bakuryu sat down before the main computer in the lab and began a search for Long Shin. The computer was fast so in less than a second all the information that was available was before him.

"Long Shin, assassin for Tylon. Age 31, he was once a famous assassin until he betrayed the organization... He is Chinese, his beast form a tiger... No one knows where he is now, but his alive." Bakuryu said.

Bakuryu went a bit further and found something his master had done with Long.

"... A clone of Long... Shenlong? Of course they look the same." Bakuryu thought and closed the page.

"That blonde woman... I wonder if she's in the files as well." Bakuryu thought and began a search.

The computer requested for a description and Bakuryu put down a brief description of her. Bakuryu described her as blond woman, green eyes, between her thirties and proximally 170cm tall.

Seconds later the computer found a match, her name was Jenny Burtory. She was a model and had been involved with Tylon. She had been experimented on and was unable to age properly. Bakuryu was surprised by her age, and her second profession, a spy.

Bakuryu assumed she was working with Gado and if so; the girl he had seen earlier was a part of this. Bakuryu then made a final search for the girl he had seen and chased the day before.

Her name was Uriko Nonomura, she had also been involved with Tylon, but in a much bigger incident. It seemed Uriko had been taken by Tylon because of a great power she possessed within her. She became a great weapon for Tylon known as the 'werechimera'; but was saved by her mother, Mitsuko. Bakuryu could hardly believe any of the things he was reading. He had seen what Uriko was capable of; and it was nothing near of what the information claimed.

Bakuryu then understood while reading the information why Shenlong had captured the woman from the store; she seemed to be a skilled fighter. Of course, Bakuryu didn't agree, judging from what he had seen back at the store.

Bakuryu closed the files and left the labs the same way he came in. He had now a better idea of what Uriko was doing; she planned to train under Long Shin. He had no other choice but to wait for Uriko's arrival.

Bakuryu found Uriko's expectations to become stronger in such a short period of time a pure joke. He considered her to be a foolish kid already; he was very confident in his skills and didn't think twice that he would lose to her or her soon to be master.

Meanwhile he decided this was a grand opportunity to see if it was possible to find Gado and his assistant Jenny.

Bakuryu got back to his dormitory and planned out a search; with the new information gathered; he knew now where to look.

In the meantime Uriko was now only a few hours away from her destination.

"Come on!! How much more do I need to stay in this darn seat!!! I can't feel my legs!!" Uriko thought.

Uriko was too hyperactive, and having to be sited for so long was driving her insane. Uriko felt like she needed to jump or run a few laps to wake her legs up; but she knew she had to be patient or else things would go wrong...

Finally Yugo was going to join the group; Bakuryu was about to find out something very big, Uriko was finally going to arrive at her destination and more problems are about to rise...

To Be Continued...

Very well that's it! I hoped you liked it! I am still so ashamed of all the mistakes I had made in the previous chapters...-- but I will repost all of the chapters with the correction needed...


	6. Problems

Chapter 6:

It was noon and the bus Uriko was in had finally come to a stop. The place the bus had stopped in was a small village. There were only three old houses, while the rest from there on was just pure nature.

Uriko had only been twice to this place long ago with her mother. Her mother would come here to visit her older sister, whom she stopped visiting because of the bad relationship they had. They would rather send mail to each other once a month or so.

Uriko stopped stalling, grabbed her things and got out of the bus. There were no sidewalks or roads from here on, only some dirt pathways that would lead up towards the mountains and each of the three houses.

Uriko then took a deep breath and tried to relax. "Okay... My aunt lives towards the mountain, but towards the right, I'm supposed to go toward the left side and then into the forest and into those mountains... Then does that mean I have to climb the mountain!? ... I hope there's some kind of road in there..." Uriko said and then moved forward.

She walked all the way to the mountain, through the dirt path and stopped and took the turn to the left; this was the easiest part, it had only been a 30 minute walk. Now Uriko had to walk across the forest and up one of the highest mountains there.

Uriko looked into the forest and realized there was barely a small dirt path to follow.

"...Okay! I can do this! My mom depends on me! I just gotta try and not get lost..." Uriko said firmly and moved into the deep and thick forest.

* * *

Meantime in a simple restaurant back in town...

Yugo and Gado had just finished eating their lunch. They had not yet discussed any of the issues Gado wanted to tell Yugo due to the fact there was no privacy in the establishment they were at.

They had not even exchanged a word since they had arrived to the restaurant, there was a bit of tension among the two. It wasn't until Gado paid for the bill that Yugo finally said something.

"Thanks for the meal, but you really didn't have to pay for mine." Yugo said.

"No, it's alright. Think of it as 'thank you' gesture... I know you're not that well economically right now." Gado said.

"You really didn't have to bring that up... but you're right..." Yugo said feeling a bit ashamed. Gado straight away noticed Yugo's discomfort and stood up.

"Very well, let's go somewhere a bit more private..." Gado said and headed towards the door.

Yugo followed Gado out to the parking lot, where Gado had parked his car. Gado had a great sports car, and as expensive as it looked; this made Yugo feel a worse about his money problems.

"Why am I feeling so immature...?" Yugo thought as he got in.

Yugo wanted to have nice things, but with the way things were going, it was going to take a long time. He knew it was his entire fault for not trying harder to get a good paying job and so he knew better than to complain.

He actually never thought much about his life style, but lately he wanted to have a more comfortable one. It seemed that he finally realized he had to shape up his life before he got to old, but he needed a bit more of motivation, he thought.

"Yugo, we're here." Gado said waking Yugo from his deep thoughts.

"...Right... It looks more like an abandoned building to me..." Yugo said as he looked around.

"Yeah, that is because it is. Just follow me." Gado said as he got out.

Gado had parked his car underneath the building, where there was an almost hidden parking lot. In this parking lot there was only one car parked.

"I thought this was a "private" place, who does that car belong to?" Yugo asked.

"Ah, she's here, don't mind that." Gado said as he walked towards the entrance.

They entered a building that seemed to be abandoned and walked up to the last floor. Once on the last floor they entered a big room.

"Wow, I never thought a room like this was inside an abandoned building." Yugo said.

The room had good furniture in it and even air conditioning. It was all so well hidden no one could tell there was a fancy office within this building.

"Yes, I made it here, since I knew nobody would go into a building like this. Well at least no one that's looking for me." Gado said and closed the door behind him.

"... So you're being followed by... the police?" Yugo asked.

"...In a way, they believe I'm involved with the Z.L.F... all this, just because I stood up for the rights of fellow zoanthropes; whom were and still are being massacred for no good reason." Gado said.

"I understand why you are doing this, but you sure this is gonna work... I mean..." Yugo said unsurely.

"Yugo, I ask you to please believe in me... I wouldn't put anyone through something I knew they couldn't handle." Gado said.

"I believe you; it's just kinda hard to believe I got involved so suddenly..." Yugo said and sat down.

"Well, is this the boy you were talking about?" Jenny asked who had been quietly seated in the corner.

"Yes... Let me introduce you. Yugo Ogami, this is Jenny Burtory." Gado said.

"Boy!?" Yugo said annoyed.

Jenny only nodded and redirected her view towards Gado.

They all took a seat and relaxed as much as they could. Yugo couldn't help to feel a bit nervous around the two.

"Yugo, you'll soon met the others that will help us destroy the Z.L.F; but there is something you can't do no matter what is the situation. You can't tell anyone what I'm doing; no one must know that I'm involved in this. You and Jenny are the only one's that know... and I fear some of the members of the Z.L.F. as well, but that's why we are working fast." Gado said.

"Okay... but why can't the other know? How will they join then...?" Yugo asked.

"Well, because the government is looking to blame someone and I'm suspected of being involved with the Z.L.F., more like suspected of being the leader. If I tell them I'm involved, the word might slip and thus making I look more suspicious." Gado said.

Jenny stood silently in a corner while Gado talked to Yugo.

"But how will they join us, these people you have in mind, if they don't even know who is the one organizing all this? They won't-" Yugo asked confused, when Gado interrupted him,

"Don't worry; I have everything planed out... All that's missing is for the situation to advance a little more." Gado said leaving Yugo even more confused.

"Okay...?" Yugo said and continued to listen to Gado's plan.

After an hour of explanations Yugo finally understood things.

"It seems you are capable of doing all these things... Fist is first; I need you to get Alice." Gado said.

"Why...? I thought you said her sister and mother are involved not her." Yugo asked.

"Well I believe, since she has a record in Tylon; she will be chased by the Z.L.F. just like Mitsuko and the fact that her sister and mother are involved is good enough to involve her. It is just a matter of time. I need you, a close friend of hers, to keep her save from them; after all she's all alone right now." Gado said.

"Of course, I get it... I just hope I find her in time." Yugo said.

"Well, that's all for now, I'll see you around." Gado said and left the office.

"Wait, wait Gado! I have to walk back home!? It's so far away now!" Yugo said and ran out of the office.

"...That went pretty well... I suppose" Jenny said and stayed behind in the office. She walked over the desk and picked up some papers that she had laid there before Gado and Yugo had arrived.

Down in the parking lot Yugo had convinced Gado to give him a ride back home, while from all the way up in the roof Bakuryu had found the man he was suppose to kill.

"Damn... that man has seen me... I can't just go down there now, if anything goes wrong they will now where to find me... at least I know where to find him. I'll have to go into their office; I'll find information of who's working with him there." Bakuryu said and broke in through a window on the top level.

Ironically enough it was the exact window where the office was located. Bakuryu was now hanging upside down from the window's frame looking into the office.

Bakuryu immediately noticed Jenny, as well as she noticed him.

"Well, you, there. Excuse me, but I don't think I heard you knock" Jenny said calmly and looked at the boy.

Bakuryu got inside and stood before her, and without a word charged at her.

Jenny didn't expect the sudden attack and was unable to block the kick that came towards her. She crashed against the wall and got back up.

"That's no way to treat a lady." Jenny said and ran towards him.

She then slid across the floor in an attempt to make him fall with a very low kick; but with easiness he avoided the attack. Jenny then turned around and slapped him in the face twice. Bakuryu recovered his balance and grabbed her by her arms and went between her legs and finally kicked of her back.

"Is that all you have to show?" Bakuryu said mocking Jenny.

"You haven't seen anything, boy." Jenny said and kicked herself up.

Bakuryu avoided the kick and kicked her back down. Jenny rolled away and got up again.

"He's serious about this... He's attacks are very strong... too strong for a normal zoanthrope..." Jenny thought as she blocked most of the attacks Bakuryu threw at her.

She looked for an opening between his attacks and when she found it, began to throw as many of her strongest kicks as possible. Bakuryu was able to keep up with many of the kicks like she had done before with his punches. It almost seemed they were at the same level of skill.

"Enough play, let's finish this..." Bakuryu said and transformed into his beast form, a mole.

Jenny was pretty beaten up, but had no choice but to continue fighting. She then decided to transform into her beast form, a bat, to match up with his newly gained strength as a beast.

Bakuryu charged at her with his immense claws and tried to stab her. Jenny barely evaded the attack; she had gotten two pretty deep cuts on her left arm.

"He's too fast; I know why I can't beat him... He must have been enhanced by one of Busuzima's experiments or something like that..." Jenny thought frustrated while she held her injured arm.

Bakuryu transformed back to his human form.

Jenny then got a bit frustrated and charged at him with supersonic speed; sending his flying across the room. Bakuryu was getting back on his feet; when Jenny came from behind and jumped on his back; she was about to jump on him when he vanished from below her.

"What!? Where'd he go???" Jenny thought looking behind her.

Bakuryu appeared above her with a spiral kick; that sent her flying across the room; making her lose her beast form.

Bakuryu fell on one knee catching his breath for a moment.

Jenny was now too injured to get up; all she could do was gaze at her opponent as he got up on his feet.

"Enough of this, I will now finish you with my next move." Bakuryu said and walked up to her.

Jenny struggled to get back up, but kept falling right back down.

Bakuryu smiled at her efforts of getting away and picked her up by the neck. Jenny tried as hard as she could to break free from his grasp around her neck, but she could not.

Unable to breathe, she began to hesitate.

"So... this is the end for me..." Jenny thought as she closed her eyes, when all of a sudden someone broke in the room from the door behind Bakuryu.

Bakuryu threw Jenny against the desk and sent a strong blow to her ribs, to make sure she wouldn't get back up.

Jenny fell to the floor and began to cough out blood from her mouth. Bakuryu turned away from her and looked at the intruder.

It was a young woman, with blonde hair and bright blue eyes; it almost seemed like a female version of Gado.

She moved forward toward Bakuryu and seemed prepared to fight.

Bakuryu picked up the chair next to him and sent it flying towards his new opponent.

The young woman jumped out of the way and looked for Bakuryu, who was charging at her.

"You little punk." She said and threw a fierce punch at Bakuryu, who was unable to dodge it, and was thrown next to the desk.

Bakuryu immediately got back on his feet and spotted some papers than had fallen from the desk next to him.

"Yes... these are the papers that I needed..." Bakuryu thought looking at a list of names.

He looked back at the woman and noticed she was coming towards him ready to attack. Bakuryu grabbed the papers and ran towards the window, where he jumped off.

"Shit...where that brat ran of to..." the woman said as she looked out the window and turned her attention back into the office.

She spotted Jenny, who was struggling to get back up, and walked over to her.

"...Shina..." Jenny barely said.

"How do you know my name? Are you with my father!?" Shina demanded.

"I... I..."Jenny barely said and blacked out.

Shina walked closer to her and checked who she was.

"Jenny Burtory... I never heard of her... but this is where I heard my father was seen. I can't ask her anything now; I better get her to a hospital..." Shina said.

Before leaving with Jenny she checked for any signs of her father being in this office; but found none.

"I wonder what that boy took..." Shina said and picked Jenny up.

* * *

Meanwhile at Yugo's house...

"Thanks for the ride, I really thought you were gonna leave me back there." Yugo said with a chuckle.

"Sure... I better get going." Gado said.

"Later." Yugo said and left.

Gado watched Yugo leave and then he left.

"I have a strange feeling... something isn't right." Gado said as he drove.

* * *

At a nearby hospital...

"Hey! Do you know this lady??" A nurse asked Shina.

"No idea who she could be..." Shina said as she left.

"...That's weird..."the nurse said as she went to get help.

About 20 minutes after Shina's departure, Jenny was stabilized and resting at the E.R. while she recovering most of the blood she lost from the deep wound on her arm.

"Hello." said the nurse that was tending her.

"Huh...? Where- Where am I?" Jenny said in a weak voice.

"Well, you're in the hospital. A young woman brought you here, about almost an hour ago. You got here just in time too, a little more and you would have suffered severe internal bleeding." The nurse said.

"...So she helped me..."Jenny thought and sat up.

"Oh, you should lie back down! You're wounds can open up again." The nurse said.

"I need to make a phone call now... where's my cell phone?" Jenny asked.

"Next to you, on that table, but you can't make phone calls here..." the nurse said and watched as Jenny ignored her.

"Hello...?" Jenny said and the nurse left.

"What a stubborn lady..." the nurse said.

"Hey, Alice! You're shift is over, so why are you still here?" another nurse said.

"Oh, I lost track of time... thanks for telling me." Alice said and went to get her things.

"Okay, bye-bye." The other nurse said.

* * *

Meantime Jenny was talking to Gado.

"Gado, I'm at the hospital. Some boy attacked me, I think he got something from the office, but I'm not sure, it's kind of a blur to me." Jenny said.

"Are you okay?" Gado asked concerned.

"Yes... You're daughter saved me... What I'm wondering is why she didn't stick around to ask me about you." Jenny said.

"So she tracked down where my office was..." Gado said a bit surprised.

"You were right when you said she'd come looking for you... I should leave now to make sure she doesn't come looking here." Jenny said.

"I'll go get you." Gado said.

"To just make sure, come from the back." Jenny said.

"Very well see you soon." Gado said and hung up.

Jenny then got up and left through the back after filling in the papers of her stay.

It was 4:30 and Uriko was still in the middle of the forest.

"Oh, I only got a few hours before the sun goes down... Oh, oh, I'm hungry..." Uriko said as she stopped a moment.

She opened her bag and took a sandwich she had prepared back at her house.

"Kinda mushy... Well it still looks good." Uriko mumbled as she took a bite of it and continued walking.

Uriko enjoyed the view around her as she walked; continuously looking down to make sure she hadn't gotten of the pathway.

"...I wonder what... what they are doing to mom...?" Uriko whispered and couldn't stop thinking about her.

She completely lost track of time as she began to imagine different possibilities about her mother's condition.

"...What if they got to her... What if she working with them...What if she's...?" Uriko said, but couldn't bring herself the last thing she imagined.

It wasn't until she found herself without any road before her; that she stopped thinking those depressing thoughts.

"Oh, no! Did I just get lost!? Huh?" Uriko said as she looked behind her; but the road was right behind her.

"... This must be it... the mounting I must climb... Oh, it's 5:45! The sun will be down by 7:00 or sooner!!" Uriko said and looked mountain before her.

She took a deep breath and began to climb without thinking it twice.

* * *

Meanwhile, Bakuryu had arrived at the apartment hours ago...

Bakuryu had tended the wound that had been inflicted by Jenny.

"... At least the wounds weren't that bad." Bakuryu said a bit pissed off.

Bakuryu finally decided to read what he had recovered back at the office.

"...Jenny... Uriko... Long... I know these already... Shina, this must be the one who broke in back there..." Bakuryu said.

The papers he had in his hands were short biographies made by Gado, most probably the papers Jenny was using to find the people that would soon be joining for Gado.

"How stupid... To leave theses papers like this wide in the open... It must have been what that woman was looking at when I came in." Bakuryu thought and kept looking.

He now had important information for his master and had to report as soon as he could; but had to wait till night to make the call outside.

He looked at the clock on the wall and decided to wait till it was late enough.

* * *

"Gado... what took you so long?" Jenny said standing outside the hospital.

"Sorry I went to the wrong hospital..." Gado said.

"...That doesn't sound like something you would do." Jenny said as she got in the car.

"I know...I just have a lot in my mind..." Gado said.

"So, you are feeling better now?" Gado asked.

"Yes, but I will feel much better once I have a hot bath and change my clothing." Jenny said.

"You never change." Gado said with a smile.

"Well, please take me home first." Jenny said.

"Sure thing... Jenny, I'm so sorry... You got injured and could have been killed." Gado said.

"I knew what I was getting myself into when I said I'd join, don't worry about it, it comes with the job. Anyway, I just wasn't in the mood to fight; otherwise, he wouldn't have stood a chance." Jenny said with a smirk.

"Of course, I believe in your skills." Gado said reassuring her.

They headed towards Jenny's place, where Jenny cleaned herself, while Gado thought things over.

* * *

Shina had headed back into her hotel room...

"...I arrived a bit too late... I don't think he'll be going back there... Not after what happened there." Shina said as she opened a can of soda.

She threw herself back on the sofa and leaned back.

"...I guess I'm running out of choices... I gotta go to the Z.L.F. itself to find him... I should've asked that lady... but she wasn't gonna talk if she knew. But that boy, what was he doing there? I guess the only way to find out is to go straight to the source" Shina said to herself.

There wasn't much she could do; but wait until the right time to attack.

* * *

It was now 6:55 and the sun was going down, Uriko was half way up and scared she might lose her balance.

"EEEEHHHH!!!!!!!!!! I don't know what to do!? I can't tell where I should go!" Uriko said as she held on tightly to a piece of rock.

She slowly began to pull herself up, when she felt a flat surface above her.

"Huh? Could this be solid ground!?" Uriko said and hurried up.

After some struggling she found herself on a flat surface of the mounting. Before Uriko stood a giant rock, which seemed to be blocking the way in to a cave.

"THIS MUST BE IT! But how do I get in?" Uriko said and began to run towards the rock.

She looked at it for at least five minutes before attempting to move it.

"Here goes nothing." Uriko said and began to push the rock aside.

It was very heavy and pretty big for one person to move; but if behind it she would find Long, it didn't matter.

Uriko was tired from a whole day of walking and then climbing, so this proved to be very hard for her.

She struggled for what seemed forever, until she felt the rock move a bit; and moved again and again, until there was enough space for her hand to fit in through.

"Come on!" Uriko said as she pushed.

The sun was going down soon and Uriko needed to hurry.

After 15 minutes the rock was half way out of the way, so Uriko decided to stop.

"...Here I go... Hello!? Hello!? Is anyone in here?" Uriko yelled and stopped for a moment.

"What... what if this was a grave!? People used to use caves as graves!" Uriko said and backed away a little scared.

"Who dares open this cave?" A manly voice said and Uriko jumped a little.

"I- I did! I need your help... Are you Long Shin?" Uriko said loudly, trying to keep all fear from her voice.

After a few seconds of silence a man showed up from inside the cave.

He didn't seen too old, but not too young either; his hair looked messy and his clothes old.

Uriko moved closer and took a quick breath.

"Hello, my name is Uriko Nonomura. I came her because I head you can help me. You see; my mom was kidnapped a few days ago... I need to learn how to fight to save her." Uriko said and looked into his eyes with determination.

"...You heard wrong. I do not teach such things; I have given that up long ago." Long said.

"But, please, I need your help! My mom's gonna die if I don't do something! I came a long way just to see you!" Uriko said.

"Then it was a wasted trip." Long said and turned around. "Leave this place, I will not help you."

"But... NO! I won't leave! I won't leave until you've helped me! You can't be that heartless...!" Uriko said and sat down on the ground like a stubborn child.

Long turned around a bit surprised at her behavior, but kept walking into the cave.

Uriko decided to camp there until he changed his mind.

She began to open a sleeping bag and small tent she carried in her big backpack. She was determent that he would help.

Uriko managed to put everything together before the sun was completely down, she was lucky it was summer and the days were longer.

* * *

Three hours later, Bakuryu had left his apartment to make the call...

He walked down the empty streets to a nearby pay phone. He put two quarters inside and waited for his master to answer.

"Master?" Bakuryu said when he heard someone pick up the phone.

"Oh, good it's you! Bakuryu, something horrible has happened here! Someone found me! I need to head back, ouch, dammit! Stun, Stun is here! He's trying to kill me right now so I can't talk much! Just forget everything just try and finish anyone who gets in the way at this point... the lab here is gone, that fucking bug destroyed everything!" Busuzima yelled.

Bakuryu could hear explosion and yelling in the background.

"Very well Master..."Bakuryu said a bit confused at his master's order.

"Boy, just kill anyone with Gado, I suppose you know who they are by now." Busuzima said.

"Yes, I do." Bakuryu said.

"Okay, then get to work! You cockroach! Stay back!" Busuzima yelled and hung up.

Bakuryu let go of the phone and headed back to his place.

"... I can't take them all at once... I can't go after Gado, because he now has people around him... What can I do now..." Bakuryu thought as he tried to make an assassination plan.

* * *

T.B.C...

Busuzima in trouble with Stun, Bakuryu left with all the work at once, Gado hurrying to gather everyone, Yugo now looking for Alice, Shina ready to fight and Uriko trying to convince Long... Can anything get any worse? Most probably yes... ;)


End file.
